Devices for closing containers are known in various embodiments according to DE102007057857 as closing machines for closing bottles with screw closures that are fixed by screwing on or screwing to a thread on the exterior of the bottle in the area of the bottle's mouth.
In principle, the placement of a particular closure is carried out with a closer tool or closing cone in which the bottle closure is held until placed on a bottle, and that can be driven in a rotating manner by a drive to place the closure on the bottle or to screw the closure onto the bottle.
During the entire closing process, due to the geometric circumstances on a closing machine, it is regularly required to change the distance between the lower edge of the closing cone and the upper edge of the bottle mouth, e.g. to compensate for the change in distance resulting from the screwing-on operation. In certain embodiments of known closers, this occurs by the lower edge of the closing cone remaining at one height level while the container to be closed carries out all the necessary vertical movements.
As DE102007057857 A1 further discloses, known closing machines, i.e. screw cappers and also (crown) corking machines, have a plurality of closer stations at the periphery of a rotor which can be driven to circulate around the vertical machine axis, said closer stations each having a closer tool and a bottle or container holder, which can be controlled to move upwards and downwards through a lifting curve while the rotor rotates to feed the particular bottle to the closer tool before the closing and to detach the closed bottle from the closer tool. However, embodiments are known in which both the container and also the closer tool each carry out part of the necessary movement to achieve closure of a container.
Also known are closing machines in which containers are closed with crown corks. With these closing machines too, there are also changes in the distance that likewise require compensation. This can take place as described previously. Naturally in this case, a screw movement of the closing stamp is not needed.
Also known are closing machines controlled by mechanical lifting cams. Among their drawbacks is their susceptibility to wear. To address this, DE102007057857 makes the practical suggestion of replacing the lifting cam by a controlled and adjusted drive.
This suggestion of DE102007057857 has proven itself in practice as the necessary height movement was designed to be freely programmable. For controlled or adjustable, linear movement, an in-line motor could be used for example. It has furthermore been suggested that the screw spindle of a screw capper or the closing stamp of a (crown) corking machine be made as armatures and hence have magnets.
DE102009017019 concerns a closing machine in which a rotational force is magnetically transferred from the drive shaft to the closer tool. This too has proved itself in practice.
The use of magnetically acting elements to prevent mechanical wear is thus known. However, the particular magnetic coupling elements, for example, the linear motor of DE102007057857, are disposed in the product space itself. This entails considerable cleaning effort if, for example, product filled into the container overflows or otherwise escapes onto the various elements.